Beach cleaning apparatus

ABSTRACT

A beach cleaning apparatus including a mobile frame, an elongated collecting housing extended transversely of one side of the frame, including a vibratory screen member and means for engaging, elevating and distributing debris from the beach surface upon the screen member, an endless conveyor mounted transversely of the frame to convey debris from the screen member on one side of the frame to the discharge station on the opposite side of the frame.

United States Patent Inventor Nelson l-l. Bogie Gilbertsville, Ky. 42044 827,361 May 23, 1969 Jan. 19, 1971 Appl. No. Filed Patented BEACH CLEANING APPARATUS 11 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl..,..

Int. Cl Field of Search 171 116, A0ld 15/04 171/116,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,652,673 9/1953 Zehren 171/63 2,833,358 5/1958 Lust l7l/44 2,972,384 2/1961 Thome 171/63 3,205,949 9/ l 965 Rasmussen 171/63 Primary Examiner-Antonio F. Guida AmmeyHarrington A. Lackey ABSTRACT: A beach cleaning apparatus including a mobile frame, an elongated collecting housing extended transversely of one side of the frame, including a vibratory screen member and means for engaging, elevating and distributing debris from the beach surface upon the screen member, an endless conveyor mounted transversely of the frame to convey debris from the screen member on one side of the frame to the discharge station on the opposite side of the frame.

20 22 12 1+ G If I} a [10 L 1 l PATENTED Jam 9 I97! sum 2 UP 2 v INVENTOR: Wasp/V fi B0975 BEACH CLEANING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION i move the debris upward and rearward andto discharge the debris upon a trailing receptacle-type vehicle, such as a wagon or cart. Some beach cleaning apparatus includes an endless conveyor made of perforated or screen material to separate the sand from thedebris and to return the sand to the beach during the beach cleaning operation.

However, these prior .beach cleaning apparatuses are;all limited to a pickup or collecting mechanism which is disposed within the perimeter of the vehicle or the mobile frame, and more specifically, the wheels of the frame. Accordingly, the swath cleaned by eachpass or'longitudinal traverse of the .vehicle is limitedto the width of the frame, or more specifically, the wheel base. d

Furthermore, known beach cleaning apparatuses merely collect, elevate and load the debris in the same form in which it is encountered. The debris is not acted upon in any manner tobreak up, pulverize, compress orfcomrninute the debris, to facilitate handling the discharge and loading of thedebris, or to reduce the number of receptacle-type'vehicles required to load the given amount of material in a predetermined length of time. s d

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a beach cleaning apparatus provided with a collecting housing or mechanism which extends laterally beyond one side of the mobile frame or vehicle so that a wider swath of beach surface may be traversed and cleaned with each pass of the vehicle over a given area. The length of the collecting mechanism may be varied over side limits, and is certainly not limited to the wheelbase of the vehicle. I

The collecting mechanism also includes a rotary member having beater elements for disintegrating and comminuting the debris encountered by the apparatus, as well as a vibratory screen member which not only salvages the s and from the debris and returns it to the beach area, but also aids in transporting the debris toward a discharge conveyor.

The beach cleaning apparatus made in accordance with this invention also provides several means, not only for adjusting the positions of the collecting mechanism and the discharge conveyor, but also for moving the collecting mechanism and conveyor between various operative positions and inoperative positions occupying a'minimum of space.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS .FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the apparatus made in accordance with this invention, with certain portions broken away; t

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation of the apparatus disclosed in FIG. 1 with portions broken away;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevation of a portion of the front of the collecting housing, with portions broken away and in section.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings in more detail, the beach cleaning apparatus 10 made in accordance with this invention includesan elongated mobile frame or chassis 11. The front of the frame 11 is supported by front wheels 12 and 13, steerable and driven by hydraulic motors l4 and 15, respectively, which are known in the art. t The rear end of the frame 11 is supported by a single rear wheel 16 which resembles a caster, and is mounted in a bracket 17 for pivotal movement about a vertical axis. The pivotal movement of the rear wheel 16 is effected through a lever 18 and a'linear actuator, such. as the hydraulic cylinder 19, pivotally mounted upon the rear end of the frame 11.

Mounted on the frbnt end of the mobile frame 11 is a control cab 20 including a control console 21 for operating the dieselengine 22, which drives a hydraulic pump 23, and for controlling the valves to the various hydraulic circuits, not shown, supplied by hydraulic fluid from the pump 23.

Projecting laterally from one side, the left side as shown in V the drawings, of theelongated mobile frame 11, is an elongated collecting mechanism 25. The collecting mechanism includes an elongated housing 26. The proximate end of the housing 26.is provided with journals for pivotally supporting depending front and rear hanger arms 29 and 30. The bottom ends of the hanger arms 29 and 30 are pivotally connected by hinge pins 31 to the remote ends, respectively, of front and rear link arms 33 and 34, the proximate ends of which are pivotally connected to the left side of the mobile frame 11 by journal pins 35. u

, An A-frame assembly or gantry 37 is fixed uponthe middle portion of the mobile frame 11 to project upward. The gantry 37 includes a pair of A-frames 38 and 39 longitudinally spaced apart in parallel relationship upon the frame 11. I

Journaled upon each A-frame 38 and 39, at a predetermined distance above the frame 1l., by pins 40, are a pair of linear actuators, such as hydraulic. cylinders 41 and 42, in which are reciprocably mounted the piston rods 43 and 44, respectively. The lower or outer ends of the piston rods 43 and 44 are also joumaled tolthe hinge pins 31 respectively at the front and rear of the housing 26.

The remote end of the housing wheel 45. I

Mounted coextensively within and supported by the housing 26 is an elongated vibratory screen member 48. The screen member 48 is mounted in the housing 26 to reciprocate rapidly, longitudinally of the housing 26; and is provided with screen openings of a size to permit separation of beach sand from larger debris collected by the collecting mechanism 25. The front edge of the screen member 48 is supported by an 26 may be supported by a elongated track or guideway 49,. while its rear edge is suspended by a plurality of longitudinally spaced hanger arms 50. The upper ends of the arms 50 are pivotally connected to the rear wall of the housing 26, while the lower ends of the hanger arms 50 are pivotally connected to the rear edge of the screen member 48. The vibratory or reciprocable motion of the screen member 48 is obtained through an eccentric drive I means including a motor 51, an eccentric wheel 52,-eccentric arm 53 and pivotally mounted hanger arm 54. Thus, when the motor 51 is energized, the screen member 48 is vigorously reciprocated to shake and separate the sand and debris carried by the screen member 48.

Projecting forward and downward from the screen track 49 is a comb member 56, having a smooth, sloping surface 57 from which extend in the same sloping direction, a plurality of longitudinally and evenly spaced teeth 58.-

Mounted in front of the comb member 56 within the housing 26 is a rotary beater member 60. The rotary member 60 includes an elongated shaft 61 extending the length of and supported in theends of the housing 26 for rotary movement. The shaft 61 carries a plurality of pivotally mounted, radially extending, beater elements or arms 62. For any given vertical cross section through the rotary member 60, there may be any desired number of beater arms 62 in a set, such as the three beater arms shown in FIG. 3. A plurality of sets of beater arms 62 are longitudinally spaced apart by the spacer elements or discs 63, as best shown in FIG. 4. The beater arms in each set may also be staggered longitudinally for better effectiveness, as disclosed in FIGS. 3 and 4. Each beater arm 62 is pivotally supported at its inner end by a pin 64 extending through an adjacent space disc 63.

The proximate end of the rotary shaft 61 is driven through a belt transmission 65 from motor 66 mounted on top of the proximate end of the housing 26.

It will be understood that other constructions of the rotary beater member 60 may be employed, so long as the beater arms 62 extend radially to provide an effective beating, and even a cutting and disintegrating action. Moreover, the beater arms 62 should be pivotally mounted to yield to excessive obstructions which might break the arms 62 if rigidly supported.

The beater member 60 is spaced in front of and above the comb member 56 a sufficient distance that the tips of the beater arms 62 will clear the comb surface 57. Moreover, the peripheral paths of the tips of the arms 62 are such that they are spaced slightly above the beach surface B, over which the apparatus moves, so that the arms 62 will engage all large debris in the path of the collecting mechanism 25. The tips of the beater arms 62 may also be adapted to move down into the spaces between adjacent teeth 58 in order to provide a more effective disintegrating and feeding action. The motor 66 is adapted to drive the beater member 60 in the direction of the arrow disclosed in (FIG. 3, that is, counterclockwise looking from the left side toward the frame 11, to enable the beater member 60 to feedthe debris up the comb member 56 and upon the screen member 48.

A conveyor frame 69 supporting an endless belt conveyor 70 extends entirely across the topof the mobile frame 11 to carry the separated debris from the proximate end of the screen member 48 to the opposite side of the mobile frame ll 1.

The lower end of the conveyor frame 69 is pivotally supported upon the extended lower belt roller shaft 71 rotatably supported at its opposite ends in the link arms 33 and 34. Since the link arms 33 and 34 are below the screen member 48, the extended roller shaft 71 will support the lower end of the conveyor belt 70 below the proximate end of the screen member 48 to permit the debris, which is shaken and gradually moved toward the frame 11, to drop by gravity upon the conveyor belt 70.

The upper end of the conveyor belt frame 69 is supported by any means for vertical adjustment, such as the yoke 73 to which is attached a cable 74 extending upward and over a sheave or pulley 75 rotatably supported upon an elongated shaft 76 connecting the upper ends of the A-frames 38 and 39. The cable 74 is then carried downward about a winding drum 77 driven by hydraulic motor 78 mounted upon the platform 79 supported between A-frames 38 and 39.

The remote end of the housing 26 may also be connected to one end of a hoisting cable 80 which is guided around the sheave 81, also mounted on the gantry shaft 76, and then directed around a winding drum 82 driven by hydraulic motor 83 also mounted upon the platform 79.

The conveyor belt 70 is driven by hydraulic motor 85 mounted on the upper end of the frame 69 and drivingly connected to the upper conveyor roller shaft 86, to move belt 70 in the direction of the arrow disclosed in FIG. 2.

Fixed to the frame 11 and projecting laterally from the right side, or from the side of the frame 11 opposite from the collecting mechanism 25, is a tow bar 88. The tow bar 88 is provided with a coupling mechanism adapted to interconnect with the coupling member 89 of a receptacle-type vehicle 90, such as a wagon, in such a manner that the vehicle 90, when coupled tothe tow bar 88 will lie beneath the upper end of the conveyor 70. Accordingly, the tow bar 88 must be mounted a predetermined distance in advance of the gantry 37.

In operating the apparatus 10 upon a beach B which is desired to be cleaned, the collecting mechanism 25 is in a substantially horizontal position, as disclosed in the drawings, with the remote wheel 45 resting upon the beach B. In this position, the tips of the teeth 58 of the comb member 56 are adapted to project downward below the plane of the bottom surfaces of the wheels 12, 16 and 45 so that the teeth of the tips will normally be projecting a slight distance into the sand on the beach B. Thus, the relative positions of the comb member 56, screen member 48 and rotary beater member 60, will be substantially as disclosed in FIGS. 3 and 4, relative to the beach B.

By operating the proper controls on the console 21, the winding motor 78 may be actuated to raise or lower the upper end of the conveyor frame 69 to the desired elevated position. The receptacle vehicle 90 is coupled to the tow bar 88 so that it will receive all of the spoil or debris fed to it by the conveyor The proximate end of the housing 26 may be vertically adjusted by means of the hydraulic cylinders 41 and 42 in order to adjust the relative position of the collecting mechanism 25 with respect to the beach B.

The mobile frame 1 l is then driven forward by actuating the hydraulic motors l4 and 15 to drive the front wheels 12 and 13. The frame 11 is steered by a combination of actuating the motors l4 and 15 and the hydraulic cylinder 19 in order to steer all three wheels 12, 13 and 16 supporting the mobile frame 1 1,

The length of the collecting mechanism 25 may be varied within wide limits. For a comparatively short length, for example 8 feet, the wheell45 may not be needed at all, and the collecting mechanism 25 may be fully supported by the suspension cable 80. However, where the length of the collecting mechanism 25 exceeds the safe or desirable limits for support by the cable 80, for example, about 20 feet, then the wheel 45 will be needed. In this manner, a collecting mechanism 25 of many times the length of the corresponding width, or wheel base of the mobile frame 1 1, may be employed. Consequently,

,a wider swath of beach B may be cleaned for each longitudinal traverse or pass of the apparatus 10.

As the apparatus 10 travels over the beach B, the teeth 58 and the comb member 56 will dislodge any obstacles buried in the surface of the beach, and elevate such objects into the path of the rotary beater member 60. The rotary beater member 60, rotating in the direction of the arrow disclosed in FIG. 3, will cause its rapidly rotating arms or blades 62, to strike any objects on the surface of the beach with great force.

Such objects will be broken, separated, out in two, pulverized I or compressed, depending upon the nature of the objects struck. In any event, all of the objects struck by the radial arm 62 will be carried upward and over the teeth 58 and the sloping surface 57, and then deposited upon the top surface of the screen member 48.

With the screen motor 51 energized, screen member 48 is rapidly vibrated to shake the debris and cause any sand or other small particles to sift through the sized openings and be deposited upon the beach B in the wake of the apparatus 10.

The eccentric motion produced by the drive mechanism 51, 52 and 53 is also adapted to cause the debris shaken on the screen member 48 to gradually move along the screen member 48 toward the mobile frame 11 in a well-known manner. When this debris reaches the end of the screen member 48, it drops upon the lower end of the conveyor belt 70, which is driven by the hydraulic motor to carry the debris upward across the mobile frame 11 and deposit the debris into the receptacle vehicle 90. As this operation continues, the vehicle is gradually filled. After the vehicle 90 is filled, it is uncoupled and replaced by another empty vehicle so that the operation of the apparatus may continue.

After the beach cleaning operation has been completed, the hydraulic winding motors 78 and 83 may be actuated to raise the conveyor frame 69 and the collecting mechanism 25 in order to reduce the overall width of the apparatus for transportation and storage.

Iclaim:

1. A beach cleaning apparatus comprising:

. fill-n,

a. an elongated mobile frame having a front end and a rear end; r 1 b. an elongated collecting housing having a proximate end andaremote end; i c. means on said frame supportingsaid housing to extend transverselyaway from one side of said frame, said proximate end being closer to said frame than said remote end, d. an elongated screen member having a; proximate end and aremoteiendy. i means rnounting said screen mernber coextensively on said housingfor longitudinal vibratory movement; means forvibrating said'screen membcrto move material supported on said screen mernbertoward said proximate 1 the end;

z. g. collecting means mounted on said housing in front of said screen member for engaging material in advance of said screen member and for elevating and delivering said material upon said screen member; an endless conveyor; means supporting said conveyor on said frame to extend transversely of said frame from the proximate end of said screen member to the other side of said frame; and j. means for driving said endless conveyor to transport material from said screen member to a discharge station on said opposite side. p 2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said screen member is disposed substantially horizontally in operative position, and said collecting means is coextensive with said screen member and comprises ,a material engaging surface,

sloping forward and downward from said screen member to the beach surface over which said frame is adapted to move.

3. The invention according to claim 2 in which said material engaging means is an elongated comb member having downwardly sloping teeth adapted to penetrate said beach surface in operative position. l e

4. The invention'according to claim) in which said collecting means further comprises a rotary member having radial beater elements mounted in said housing for movement about a rotary axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said screen member, said rotary member beinginounted in front of said material engaging member, so that the tips of said radial elements are slightlyspaced from said sloping surface of said material engaging means and slightly above said beach surface, and means for driving said rotary member in a direction to cause saidradial elements to forcefully engage material on said beach surface and move upward and rearward over said sloping surface.

5. The'invention according elements are pivotally supported upon said rotary member about pivotal axes parallel to said rotary axis. t

6. .The invention according to claim l further'comprising hinge means on said frame pivotally supporting the proximate end of said housing, and cable means connecting the remote end of. said housing to said frame for'raising and lowering the remote end of said housing. 1

7. The invention according to claim 6 in which said hinge means is mounted on said frame for vertical movement, and power means on said frame for raising and lowering said hinge means. i

8. The invention according to claim 7 in which said hinge means comprises a hanger arm pivotally connected to said housing, a link arm pivotally connected to said one side of the frame, a hinge pin pivotally connecting said hanger arm and said link arm, said power means comprising a linear actuator connecting said hinge pin to said frame.

9. The invention according to claim 8 further comprising means connecting one end of said endless conveyor to said link arm so that said one end of said conveyor is supported below the proximate end of said screen member for receiving and conveying material therefrom.

10. The invention according to claim lfurther comprising a gantry projecting upward from said mobile frame, cable means connecting said gantry to the remote end of said housing and to the remote end of said conveyor on the opposite Sl e of said mobile frame, and means for actuating said cable means to raise and lower said remote ends of said housing and said conveyor.

11. The invention according to claim 1 further comprising a tow arm mounted on said mobile frame to project laterally away from the opposite side of said frame in front of said endless conveyor, means on said tow arm for coupling a vehicle having a receptacle for receiving material from said remote end of said endless conveyor in operative position.

to clairn 4 in which said radial 

1. A beach cleaning apparatus comprising: a. an elongated mobile frame having a front end and a rear end; b. an elongated collecting housing having a proximate end and a remote end; c. means on said frame supporting said housing to extend transversely away from one side of said frame, said proximate end being closer to said frame than said remote end; d. an elongated screen member having a proximate end and a remote end; e. means mounting said screen member coextensively on said housing for longitudinal vibratory movement; f. means for vibrating said screen member to move material supported on said screen member toward said proximate the end; g. collecting means mounted on said housing in front of said screen member for engaging material in advance of said screen member and for elevating and delivering said material upon said screen member; h. an endless conveyor; i. means supporting said conveyor on said frame to extend transversely of said frame from the proximate end of said screen member to the other side of said frame; and j. means for driving said endless conveyor to transport material from said screen member to a discharge station on said opposite side.
 2. The invention according to claim 1 in which said screen member is disposed substantially horizontally in operative position, and said collecting means is coextensive with said screen member and comprises a material engaging surface, sloping forward and downward from said screen member to the beach surface over which said frame is adapted to move.
 3. The invention according to claim 2 in which said material engaging means is an elongated comb member having downwardly sloping teeth adapted to penetrate said beach surface in operative position.
 4. The invention according to claim 2 in which said collecting means further comprises a rotary member having radial beater elements mounted in said housing for movement about a rotary axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of said screen member, said rotary member being mounted in front of said material engaging member, so that the tips of said radial elements are slightly spaced from said sloping surface of said material engaging means and slightly above said beach surface, and means for driving said rotary member in a direction to cause said radial elements to forcefully engage material on said beach surface and move upward and rearward over said sloping surface.
 5. The invention according to claim 4 in which said radial elements are pivotally supported upon said rotary member about pivotal axes parallel to said rotary axis.
 6. The invention according to claim 1 further comprising hinge means on said frame pivotally supporting the proximate end of said housing, and cable means connecting the remote end of said housing to said frame for raising and lowering the remote end of said housing.
 7. The invention according to claim 6 in which said hinge means is mounted on said frame for vertical movement, and power means on said frame for raising and lowering said hinge means.
 8. The invention according to claim 7 in which said hinge means comprises a hanger arm pivotally connected to said housing, a link arm pivotally connected to said one side of the frame, a hinge Pin pivotally connecting said hanger arm and said link arm, said power means comprising a linear actuator connecting said hinge pin to said frame.
 9. The invention according to claim 8 further comprising means connecting one end of said endless conveyor to said link arm so that said one end of said conveyor is supported below the proximate end of said screen member for receiving and conveying material therefrom.
 10. The invention according to claim 1 further comprising a gantry projecting upward from said mobile frame, cable means connecting said gantry to the remote end of said housing and to the remote end of said conveyor on the opposite side of said mobile frame, and means for actuating said cable means to raise and lower said remote ends of said housing and said conveyor.
 11. The invention according to claim 1 further comprising a tow arm mounted on said mobile frame to project laterally away from the opposite side of said frame in front of said endless conveyor, means on said tow arm for coupling a vehicle having a receptacle for receiving material from said remote end of said endless conveyor in operative position. 